Love's Shelter An Eclare fanfic
by NaomilovesiCarly
Summary: An Eclare fanfiction - Everything about Eli Goldsworthy's and Clare Edwards' life is about to change radically when Eli tells his love that he's in great danger and needs to flee... Will their love be strong enough to overcome this situation? Rated T for language etc.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi Everyone! I'm Naomi, I'm seventeen years old, just a schoolgirl from the Netherlands. I absolutely love Degrassi, and I am a diehard shipper of EClare. I just adore the chemistry between those two, so I desided to write my first Degrassi Fanfiction! Like I said before, i'm Dutch so my main language isn't English, so I'm sorry for the grammitical errors. Reading and writing fanfictions really made my English better, so I hope it's good enough to let you guys enjoy the story! Enough about me, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi._

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Chapter 1 – Clueless.

Clare never lied to Eli about anything – at least, not anything important. And until now, until this very moment, Eli never lied to Clare about anything either. She could see it in his eyes. He lied when he told her these three words: 'I am fine.' Clare could tell that Eli was anything but fine. He wasn't mentally there the last few days, he was completely unaware of anything that happened around him. It was like he was living In his own world of worried thoughts. He was being silent, he let no sarcasm escape his mouth and he wasn't the confident person she knew he was.

"Eli, please. You can tell me anything," Clare whispered as they were walking to his hearse after the final school bell had rung. He stopped walking and started to stare at his black shoes. He parted his lips to say something, but no words came out. Clare grabbed his shoulders and shook them gently to strengthen her words.

"Please, at least look at me!" she was starting to sound desperate now. She hated to see him like this without knowing why he acted this way. All she could hope is that he wasn't hurt, but she had a bad feeling that something really hurting had occurred to Eli's life. She missed the real him. Everything about him that she loved was disappearing. She felt tears well up in her eyes as he kept silent. Now she could definitely sense that there was something wrong. Really wrong.

"I-Is it me? Did I do something wrong?" Clare asked as she rubbed Eli's back softly. She was clueless about what he could be upset about, especially if it involved her. Eli then looked up. She searched for any emotion in his eyes in his blank expression, but failed.

"Are you on those pills again?" she asked, reminding the anti-anxiety pills that he took almost a year ago because of his bipolar period. She couldn't believe the fact that he was just standing there, staring at her teary eyes and seeming not to be moved about her worries. She surely didn't recognize the caring Eli he used to be.

"ELI!" She blurted out, influenced by her pure desperateness and hopelessness. Soon after, she regretted that she yelled at him like that.

"Eli-"

"Let me just take you home," he mumbled as he opened the door to the passenger seat, gesturing that Clare should take her place there. Clare watched him with big, confused eyes. She crossed her arms and walked slowly to the open door, not losing any eye contact with the guy standing next to it.

"I can't believe this," she muttered as see let herself fall in the leather passenger seat of the hearse. Her sight was getting blurry because of the tears that were stinging in her eyes. When Eli had entered the car and placed his hands on the wheel, he started to talk.

"It's not you Clare," he reassured her, his voice cracking as he spoke out her name. He dropped his head and closed his eyes as he let out a huge sigh. As she saw him breaking down, she felt herself breaking down inside as well. She scooted over to him and threw her arms around him. She saw tears dripping down his cheeks. She rarely saw him cry. The only times she did see him cry, was in the period that he suffered from bipolar illness. But he was passed that period now.

"What's wrong, Eli? What happened?" she whispered as she locked her hand with his. She rubbed the back of his hand gently with her thumb. He opened his eyes and lifted his head a little.

"I don't know how to tell you. I barely know how to tell it to anyone. I don't even know how to face the truth myself. I can't believe this is what he did… His whole life, and now, it's too late…" His eyes started to get dry again and his broken expression transformed to an angry one. Clare couldn't figure out what he tried to say and about whom he was upset, but she nodded just so he could continue his story.

"My dad, he's in trouble. And now we're too. I have to go, Clare. Far away. They're after us, because of my dad," he said with gritted teeth. He clenched his hands around the wheel out of pure frustration, his knuckles starting to turn white because of the lack of blood circulation. Clare began to understand Eli's anger, though his words still didn't make any sense. What did his dad do? Why were they in danger? Clare stayed focused and tried to keep herself as calm as possible.

"Who are 'they'? Who are the people who are after you?" Clare asked softly. Eli's breathing rhythm became irregular. He closed his eyes to put himself together.

"My dad. He has been a drug dealer almost my entire life. We have lived from the money he earned with selling drugs. I can't believe I had to find out because of a visit two armed guys paid us last Monday. They threatened to make our lives a living hell if my dad didn't do the delivery he promised to do. My mom appeared to know in what kind of business my dad has been all this time. How can they be okay with it? My whole life… I get sick of the idea I used their gross money. And now it's too late. We're in trouble. He brought us in trouble. Now, my father and mother demanded me to live with uncle Thomas in London so that I will stay out of trouble. They planned on making me leave tomorrow." He turned his face to Clare's, which was covered with a shocked expression. He could see the tears return in her eyes. She just stared at him for a minute before responding.

"Are you leaving? Are you going to London? I don't want you to be in trouble, Eli. If these guys really are dangerous, you should go as far away as possible," Clare said, trying to stay objective, considering Eli's safety. Though she could feel a sickness coming up as she realized Eli – the guy she considered as 'the one' – had to leave, she was also aware of the fact that this was the best option for him. She tried to keep herself together, but tears were already making their way down her cheeks. She felt Eli's hands cupping her face. Clare could feel his minty breath against her skin. His eyes locked with hers.

"I can't leave. I don't want to. I can't leave without you. You understand that, right?" He asked, his voice clearly influenced by a desperate tone. Clare grabbed his wrists tightly.

"And I don't want to lose you, Eli. And I will if you're not going. You're in serious danger, Eli, don't you understand? All you want is for me to be happy, right? Than go. Be safe." she demanded him as her grip around his wrists weakened. Eli closed his eyes as he let go of Clare's face.

"Then what about us?" he whispered. He looked down to the trembling hands on his lap. Clare closed her hands around his to make them stop shaking. She needed to be convincing this very moment. She needed to make him this message very clear.

"We will be alright. I'll be there for you, every step of the way," Clare stated, truly certain about the words she had spoken, "We will be alright."

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_I'll update soon, chapter 2 is already in the making. So, I know, drama already. If you don't like drama, you'd better stop reading this story - though I promise Eclare sweetness in the future chapters! So let me know what you think, leave a review if you have the time. And again, I'm sorry for the lack of control in my English, I'll try hard to make the future chapters better ;) anyways, I hope you guys liked it! _

_Thanks for reading, fellow EClare lovers! Oh, and constructive criticism is welcome as well._


	2. Chapter 2

_Soooo thank you guys for reading and especially for the reviews! I hope I'll get some more because I have to admit; it's really great to get some of them! I'll be busy with the promotion of my second book, which will be published this summer in Holland and Belgium (I'M SO HAPPY!), so i'm not sure If I'll be able to upload that often. Once a week I guess? I don't know yet. What I do know, is that I have got this story planned out and it's not even close to the end yet, so yeah, enjoy!_

_Oh and, since my English isn't perfect (I'm learning though!), I'll already apologize for any grammatical errors and stuff._

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Degrassi!_

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Chapter 2 – Unexpected.

Clare waited at Eli's locker after school. This was one of those long days, since she barely slept all night. All she did was twisting and turning in her bed, fighting the desire to run over to Eli's house to spend the night in his arms. She eventually cried herself to sleep, with the thought of him leaving the country the next day haunting her in her dreams.

As she woke up, she still tasted his lips on her mouth as she remembered the loving kiss they shared as he dropped her off at her house the day before. It was a kiss they had never shared before. Both of their faces were wet of their running tears, their lips moving out of desperateness, missing each other already. It felt as if it was their last kiss, like all their love was pushed into it.

She hasn't got to see him all day at school, so she assumed he skipped all his classes. Adam though, was certain that he did see Eli the first period, standing in front of the principal's office. _It would make sense, he could've been there to withdraw from Degrassi, _Clare thought. She also figured that getting your school principal's approval to leave school that very day, wasn't an easy job. Mr. Simpson was a good guy, but also a realistic one, and a plan to leave school without a valid reason wasn't a thing he would be okay with. Clare felt her heart beat hopefully when she heard footsteps making their way towards her. It wasn't the guy she hoped for, but still someone she could definitely use by her side at that moment.

"Hey Clare, still looking for Eli?" Adam asked as he leaned against the locker next to Eli's.

"Hmm." Clare nodded her head as she looked over Adam's shoulder, trying to keep her hopes up by expecting Eli to show up at any moment.

"He has been acting different lately. Something is going on with the dude. I can't be de only one who've been noticing it, right? Clare, do you know what's going on?" Adam asked, his voice influenced by suspicion. Clare let her head drop, thinking and figuring out if Adam should know the truth. Eli has been like a brother to him for a few years now, so he certainly deserved to know. But would it be for the best? But the fair person she was, Clare decided to give Adam the information he needed to know.

"You're right, Adam. Eli's parents are being threatened, and to protect their son, they are sending him to his uncle in London tonight," Clare told Adam, her voice cracking as she spoke out the word 'London'. Every time the name of the city escaped her lips, a piece of Clare's heart was being ripped apart. The realization of the fact that her true love was leaving the continent, was hard for Clare to take. She just tried to suppress her feelings for the wellbeing of her boyfriend, which was way more important right now.

"What?!" Adam blurted out, his eyes growing big, "For how long?"

"A few months… until he's out of danger."

"Oh," Adam exhaled. Clare could hear the disappointment and confusion in his voice. Clare and Adam stood there in silence for a moment, both not knowing what to say or what to do.

"Morty is still standing here, so he hasn't left yet," Adam concluded, pointing at the black hearse standing at the parking lot in front of the school building.

"Where could he be? School has been over for thirty minutes now," Clare asked softly, staring at her watch. She tiptoed to look over Adam's shoulders once more. Her impatience started to grow with every second that passed by. As they heard footsteps coming down their way, both heads of Adam and Clare shot up. It was him. It was Eli. He threw them a subtle smile as he saw them. He expected them to wait for him at his locker, especially Clare. By the look on Adam's face, Eli could tell he already knew about his sudden departure and that he wasn't very pleased about it – obviously.

"Eli, Clare told me you're going. Why haven't you told me already, man?" Adam asked both frustrated as worried.

"I know, I'm sorry," Eli said, sounding a bit guilty. He should've told his best friend about it already, but telling Clare was already hard enough. He was certain that he couldn't go through that for a second time. He really didn't know how to handle the whole situation of him leaving, not to mention the situation of his family being in danger because of Bullfrog's dealing. All he could do was postpone the moment he had to tell his two best friends that he was leaving for a long time, not knowing what his life would look like from that moment on. He knew he has been acting distant since Monday, and he felt totally stupid about that, but he was too preoccupied about the mess in his life his father caused, plus the fact that he wasn't able to speak or laugh with his friends, knowing he would have to leave them. "I know, it must've come as a surprise," he mumbled eventually.

"The surprise sucks. Hard." Adam stated, "I can't believe you're leaving the continent. How long will you be gone and what did you tell Mr. Simpson? No way the man would approve!"

Clare grabbed Eli's hand, and squeezed it gently to show her support.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone. I can't even realize I will be gone. I told Mr. Simpson I'm attending home education starting tomorrow because of my mother's 'sick condition'" He explained, forming air quotes as he mentioned the fake sickness of his mother. Clare and Adam both knew Eli could be an excellent actor, so being a convincing liar wasn't that big of a deal to him.

"And he was buying that?" Adam asked unbelievingly, his voice raised a few octaves. Eli nodded and plastered a small grin on his face. Clare sensed this smile was forced though, because all she could see in his eyes was pure sadness.

"Yep, my man, he did. I wished he didn't, though. I really don't want to go and leave everything behind," Eli said, his voice turning more upset. He snatched his gaze of his two best friends and looked down at his shoes.

"You'll come back right? You won't lose us, Eli, you know that. No matter where you are, you'll have us," Adam reassured, while pulling his best friend into a short hug.

"All that matters to us is that you're save," Clare stated. Adam nodded as he agreed with Clare's words.

Eli sighed. He really didn't care that much about his safety, all he cared about were his friends and his life as a senior in Degrassi, and everything was about to change. But he also knew that staying here would not only be dangerous for him, but also for the people he cared most about. The people who were frightening his family formed a serious threat. He'd seen the look on the faces of the two armed guys as they aggressively made their way into their house on Monday. Those threatening looks weren't faked or bluffed, those were real. And if things weren't going as they pleased, they would use their guns to make their message clear. And to reach Bullfrog, to make him do what they were expecting him to do, they would use his son as a motivation to complete his mission. The fact that his parents were sending him to London, made Eli consider the option that his dad may not be able to satisfy the armed guys by doing what they demanded him to do – whatever that was. He felt worried and angry at the same time. How was he supposed to feel about his parents? He was disappointed as the thought he had his entire life of his father as a fair, strong man turned out to be a lie. But at the same time, he felt all his worries eating him alive as he thought of the terrible things his parents would have to go through from now on. Eli was being pulled out of his worries as a black car pulled up in front of the school; it was the car that belonged to Mrs. Torres. Adam inhaled deeply, knowing that this was possibly the last time he would see his best friend before his departure.

"I have to go," Adam said, his voice sounding husky. Clare noticed the hard time Adam was having. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she was affected by the strong connection between the two brother-like persons who happened to be her two best friends.

She then saw the two guys giving each other a meaningful hug, patting each other's backs.

"Good luck Goldsworthy. Please, be safe as long as you can. Don't get yourself in any more problems, just… be careful... and, you know, don't do crazy stuff… If you do, just call me or Clare. Okay I'll stop now before I'm starting to sound like your mom…" Adam muttered. Eli chuckled softly at the struggle Adam was having in finding the right words.

"I'll be fine, Torres," Eli replied.

"You'd better be," Adam warned as he made his way to Degrassi's exit. They exchanged one more look before Adam disappeared out of sight. Eli sighed as he turned around to face the person he was going to miss the most.

"I wish I could just take you with me," he muttered to the skin in the crook of her neck as they embraced each other tightly.

"I wish you weren't in this shitty situation at all," Clare whispered in his ear. She truly wished Eli was out of danger, because he didn't deserve to be in it. He had gone through enough already, and the fact that he had to flee because of a reason he wasn't responsible of, made Clare feel sick of anger.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, not wanting Clare to be pulled into his problems. He knew he was causing her pain by leaving, but he really didn't have a choice. Clare tilted her head up a little so she was facing him now.

"Don't be. You can't help the trouble your father caused. None of this is your fault, okay?" Clare said firmly. She really didn't want him to feel any responsibility for anything that was happening to him right now. He nodded slowly as a response before bringing her closer to his body and holding her tighter. He planted a kiss on top of her head. The two of them stood there in an absolute silence, enjoying the feeling of them being so close together.

"I'll definitely miss this when you'll be gone," Clare stated as she caressed his back with her hands.

"I really don't know what to do without any of you. How am I going to get through my time in London?" he asked hopelessly. Clare tried to find an answer, but she couldn't come up with anything.

"Try to comfort yourself with the thought that you'll be back someday and that we'll be waiting for you 'till then," she said finally. Eli pulled out of their hug so he could look Clare right in her eyes.

"You're sure about that? You are willing to wait for me for such a long time? I don't even know how long I'll be gone," he asked. Eli was afraid that Clare would let go of their relationship because she wouldn't be able to see him for a long period of time. History has proven that long-distance relationships are hard to contain. Were they an exception? If it concerned Eli, he would wait for Clare, even if it would take forever. But how was she facing the future of their relationship?

"Absolutely, 100 percent sure. Eli, I love you so much, I'll wait for you. No matter how long it will take," Clare replied, her words contained nothing less than the truth. As Eli saw the certain look in her eyes, he felt a sudden need to dive for her lips. He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. They both got lost in their kiss, they lost track of time and track of reality. Eli kissed his girlfriend with all the passion he possessed, grateful for having a girl like Clare as his girlfriend. As they separated to breathe some air, they rested their foreheads against each other's.

"I love you, Eli Goldworthy," Clare breathed out, placing her hands on his, which were still resting on her face. Eli couldn't help the grin that was creeping upon his face.

"I love you too, Clare Edwards."

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_That was it guys, chapter 2. Chapter 3 is already in the making and I promise it'll be better than this one. I really don't mind reviews at all - in fact; I love them (good or bad)! So if you have the time, review if you can ;) ooooh I have to say I love Eclare 2.0 and I was seriously jumping out of joy when they kissed at the beginning of this season. Let's just hope more and more Eclare moments will take place in the future episodes! _

_x Naomi!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Guys! Let me begin to say I'm sorry for the late update. I'm in my senior year and some personal stuff has kept me from writing waaay to long. Anyways, as I read chapter 2 again, I suddenly realized that Morty is back alive haha I totally forgot the whole crash thing.. Stupid, I know. So let's pretend this is Morty 2 or Morty never died ;)_

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Clare glanced at her watch. It was the watch she got for her eleventh birthday from her grandmother. She remembered it well.

"It's a good thing if you are able to separate important moments from unimportant moments in life, my dear," were her grandmother's words. Clare remembered nodding as a reaction, as if she understood what her grandma meant at the time. The truth was, she didn't. Not back then at least. At this very moment Clare was sure that she possessed the ability to know which moments were important in life, and she knew this moment was one of them.

It was exactly ten minutes before Eli would leave for London. Clare grabbed her phone and hoped to find a message from him on the display, but nothing was there. It kind of hurt Clare that he didn't text her while he was still in the country, but she managed to man up. She knew Eli was having a tough time and texting her wasn't his first priority right now.

She fought the urge to call him. He needed to do this without any distractions. He needed to do this without her…

Clare let a sigh escape from her lips. She buried her face in her hands. _Don't cry, come on Clare, _she encouraged herself. She closed her eyes and imagined him waiting impatiently in one of the crappy seats of a Gate . She felt incredibly sad for not being there to hold his hands, but at the same time, she was sure that if she was there with him, he would never let her go. Clare absolutely didn't want him to be in danger, the danger his parents caused. Clare could feel anger consuming her thoughts as her hands started shaking.

She still couldn't imagine Eli's parents dealing. She couldn't imagine _any _parent to be dealing. She couldn't imagine any parent to put the live of their child in danger, just for a money. But it was the truth and she had to deal with that. Someday, Eli would return to Toronto, and she would be waiting on his arrival back home. Back to where he belonged. Clare was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a thunder. She sighed once more, laughing inwardly at the irony of the weather completely matching the frustrated state of her mind. She tilted her head up until her eyes met the ceiling. "Please," she pleaded, somehow hoping God to hear her. Suddenly, another hard 'bang' pulled her out of her thoughts. But this bang was different from the last bang... It almost sounded like…

_This couldn't be true. _

Clare shot up and ran over to the window of her bedroom. Her eyes had trouble looking through the window, since streaming rain made the vision blurry. Her eyes drifted to a taxi as it pulled up and left the watery streets. Then her eyes drifted back to the front of her house, where a black figure stood, getting soaked from the now penetrating rain, his head down and his arms hanging lump at both sides of his body. She felt her heart skip a beat.

_This couldn't be him. I must be hallucinating. _

She snatched her gaze of the sight and started to run down the stairs, as silent as possible, making sure she wouldn't awake Jake – the only person in the house right now since her mom and Glen were both staying the night at Glen's parents' house. Not caring about the rain, Clare jerked the front door open and left the warmth of her house, clothed in nothing more but her thin pajama's.

"Eli-" was all that could escape from her lips as she and the black figure collided in a strong embrace. Clare could feel her feet being lift off form the wet ground beneath her. She cupped his face, which was glowing and steamy from the rain, and captured his lips in a longing kiss. Clare was surprised by how Eli was both gentle and aggressive in their kiss. She could feel how much he had missed her already.

"I couldn't…" he said in a husky voice, as his and Clare's lips parted because both of them needed to catch their breaths. Clare could feel his warm, minty breath tingling her cheeks and nose. He was still holding her tightly as he let her stand back on her own feet again. Clare's hands never left his face. Although it could be the rain, Clare was sure salty tears were running down his face. She looked in his eyes. She had never seen an expression like _that_ in his eyes: a expression of being totally lost.

"Shh, Eli, it's okay," she reassured him as her hands left his face to let them caress his back for a comforting hug. He didn't need to explain: Clare already knew how he must've felt at the airport. She could feel Eli nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. His irregular breathing hitting the bare and soaked skin of her neck, making Clare shiver.

"I just couldn't leave. I'm not strong enough, I panicked," he explained, his voice hoarse, full of emotion. Clare made her grip around him even tighter, not ever wanting him to think he wasn't strong enough.

"I ordered a cab, and called uncle Thomas to tell him I wasn't coming, that I just didn't have the strength to-"

"Stop that," Clare demanded, pulling her head from his shoulder to look into his confused eyes, "Don't ever say you're not strong enough, ever again." She almost sounded demanding, her eyes trying to pierce into his. She squeezed his shoulders to strengthen her words. He dropped his head in response, sighing deeply.

"Clare, I just can't leave. I don't want to," he mumbled, as he was still staring down to his now soaked black Converse.

"You don't have to," Clare responded. Eli's eyes fluttered open as they met hers. Clare felt her body start to shiver from the cold, but she couldn't care less. Her boyfriend wasn't going to leave. That realization warmed her heart. At the same time Clare felt worried, relieved and selfish. Worried since Eli still being here in Toronto meant him still being in danger, relieved since she wouldn't have to spent the next weeks without him and selfish since she was happy he was standing right in front of her while she should've forced him to take that flight to London so he would be stay out of danger. She could've known he would come back. Although she knew she should make him race back to the airport to take the next flight, Clare couldn't stop herself from offering:

"Stay. Stay the night."

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_Reviews are very welcome :)_


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